gearbox
Turbo Mini Forums

hi guys,
I originally got a standard metro turbo engine and box and stuck it straight in the car, the problem was that it was really hard to change from 2nd to 1st. I thought originally this was the clutch as reverse was a bit tricky aswell, but having changed everything to do with the clutch I thought gearbox. I bought another gearbox from a standard mini at the scrapyard and changed it over, but now it is even worse than before because it is also hard to get from 4 to 3 aswell.
My thoughts now are to rebuild the original box with a straight cut kit and new synchros. I am assuming that synchros don't come in the kit. Any advice on which kits and how to do it would be greatly appreciated, cheers guys.
Ps Am building a fibreglass custom dash at the moment to fit astra gte digital guages, so if anyones interested I maybe able to produce more than one!

Sounds to me like you have a clutch problem...

mini gear boxes don't "go stiff" is certian gears, they just break!

Define everything to do with the clutch?

Master cylider
slave cylinder
hose
arm
pivots
flywheel cover
all three pieces of the clutch

???

alex

AlexF

sounds clutch related...

Have you checked out this usefull guide?
http://www.manchester-minis.cwc.net/techni...bleshooter1.htm

Can i just ask, just to recheck.

I had this type of arm used on the metro, iwht its cable clutch.


I dont hav ethe parts to use this arm iwth my mini, and i wanted a smaller arm like my old 1.3 engine had, so i put one of the smaller arms on wihtout changing the flywheel housing, the one in this pic...


it now connets all ok with the bracket and slave, but iwll it work when i come to run it?

thanks alot!


forgot ot ask, the engine im putting in my metro tomorow (friday) has a small arm, cna i swap this for a longer one that i took off its old negine, so that i cna use the metro's original cable clutch?


osrry for all the questions.

ja,es

Previous Engine: 1040cc Morespeed engine, 1275 turbo head T2 Turbo Mirage Manifolds Megajolt
Previous engine: STD metro turbo, megajolt
Drives: 399bananahp (flywheel) Honda Civic Vtec b18c4 T28 Turbo 1968 Mini

Megajolt maps to download: http://www.jamesfawcett.co.uk/cms/index.ph...&gid=3&Itemid=3

I have replaced the arm itself for a new one, all pins have been replaced with brand new ones, the clutch plate has been renewed, as have all the pipework and slave.
Is there any way to tell what is wrong with the box without stripping it? Are the baulk rings supposed to be relatively lose? I just found it hard to believe that the second box would be worse when it was from a standard 1000cc mini. Shorely this wouldn't have had enough power to nacker the synchro

forgot to mention it is all verto metro turbo clutch

long arm = non verto

short arm = verto


Alex

AlexF

yeah but can you swap the arms over without changing the flywheel housing or clutch??? Will be more responsive with the shorter arm i would have thought.

Previous Engine: 1040cc Morespeed engine, 1275 turbo head T2 Turbo Mirage Manifolds Megajolt
Previous engine: STD metro turbo, megajolt
Drives: 399bananahp (flywheel) Honda Civic Vtec b18c4 T28 Turbo 1968 Mini

Megajolt maps to download: http://www.jamesfawcett.co.uk/cms/index.ph...&gid=3&Itemid=3

Nope, you need the right arm for the right clutch otherwise it dont work properly!

All metty turbos had verto clutchs iirc so should of had a short arm on.

i have a verto clutch and small arm

I am told though that the standard mini set up long arm and normal clutch can take more abuse ....

dunno if thats right or not but just thought i would pass it on

TurboLessTosser

the turbo engine i bought had a long arm, i just swaped it for the short arm off me mini and it all works fine, didn't bother swapping the covers etc over, just used the mini slave and short arm.

b12, the non-verto clutch can take more abuse, not the arm, the arm is needed to get the correct throw/leverage etc.

Strange them having a long arm, pretty sure they should have so its possible its been altered.

ALL standard turbo engines had the verto as std - i'm sure of that...

so am i but nobody took any notice of what i said! lol!

Just the early ones were hydraulic and later ones cable operated.

So have we all decided that it is a clutch problem? If so what do you think is causing it? I have heard rumours that the mini lockhead master cylinder is not upto operating the verto clutch, any suggestions?
Also do you think that It could be the pressure plate that has gone as this was not replaced just the friction plate.

Same master cyl was used on verto and pre-verto minis, so whoever told you that - i suggest you ignore any future 'clutch' advice from them.

Going off everything you've said - i reckon the primary gear is sticking to the crank. Easy check - Jack up one of the front wheels so it is few cm off the ground. Put the gearbox into 4th. Get an assistant to sit in the mini, with his foot perched on the pedal (not pressing it), whilst you grip the raised wheel and try turning it with all your might.
Ask your colleague to slowly press the clutch... At 1/2 to 3/4 way to the floor, you should be just able to start moving the wheel; a little more pedal travel and you should be able to easilly spin the wheel with just one hand.

If this is not possible, and the bolt B on the pic below has a small clearance between it and the clutch cover, then it's almost certainly primary gear related.


As regards primary gear, only a few things commonly happen. Either they become 'gummed up' with a sticky residue on the bush - usually as a result of using STP or similar stuff or mixing very different oil types. The other thing is that one of the bushes (usually the one under the gear teeth) starts 'walking out' of the primary gear, taking up all the endfloat, and jamming it onto the crank. If this is the case, remove it and fit the 'Calver/MinTec/MiniSpares' floating bush - but if you have a 'turbo' crank, you will need to modify it slightly. Alternativly, fit a new bush with hi-temp loctite, before getting it properly reamed to size...

Edited by turbodave16v on 4th Jun, 2004.

but dave when I changed the box I cracked the flywheel housing (flywheel hard to remove) so had to replace it. I cleaned and checked the primary gear when it went back on seemed fine.
There are different types of master cylinder though aren't there? Also is it likely that pressure plate has gone, because surely this would lead to slipping rather than just not dissengaging. My initial thought was hydraulic failure,but have now replaced everything but master cylinder, maybe that might be worth a go!

Sliping causes problems with disengaging!

There is only one type of MC as far as I am aware... not that it matters I have run a std mini MC for years with a verto and non-verto clutch and had zero problems with it.

by flywheel houseing what do you mean? The cover where the MC mounts or somthing else?

Alex

AlexF

I mean the whole surround that bolts to the gearbox and the block and the bit that the primary gear is sandwiched between

Do the check i told you...

The primary gear; Did you have sufficient end-float... THIS is where i think the problem is - only obvious once the thrust washer and C-clip is fitted...

WELL, i have just compared the arm i took off my later metro turbo engine (cable operated) and it is neither a long or short arm, it is infact a MEDIUM ARM! it also has the wrong top to it, it wont use the arm that is found on normal mini slave cylinders. Im just going to have to try it with the 998's shorter-than-the-short-turboarm arm and see how it works i suppose.

Previous Engine: 1040cc Morespeed engine, 1275 turbo head T2 Turbo Mirage Manifolds Megajolt
Previous engine: STD metro turbo, megajolt
Drives: 399bananahp (flywheel) Honda Civic Vtec b18c4 T28 Turbo 1968 Mini

Megajolt maps to download: http://www.jamesfawcett.co.uk/cms/index.ph...&gid=3&Itemid=3

Feebs, it's still the 'short arm. Trust us!